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I am a married (to Larry) mother of a 5 year old (Luke) and a step-mother of three (Lauren, Alex and Kathryn. I truly thank God for the greatest family in the world. I am a Partner in a recruiting firm, and I am daily learning how to embrace my high strung, competitive, obsessive personality. I love to run, read, and do any kind of workout (yoga, Jillian, Jackie, etc.) I'm a big shopper: a huge freak for sunglasses, shoes, and handbags.

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

This weekend, I will be attending the She Speaks conference in North Carolina. Talk about nerves, excitement, anxiety, and flat-out hurry-up-and-get-here anticipation!

I know God wants me at this conference; He has great things in store for me over the coming weekend.....but my stomach is in knots over the "what ifs". What if I'm horrible? What if I'm really not cut out for a career in speaking? What if I'm really not a good writer? When these silly fears raise their ugly heads, I must remember that I KNOW beyond a shadow of doubt that God has called me to this place.

He set me apart before I was born....and ever since I was a young girl, I have known there were books and words and a passion for writing deep within me. I don't have to be little miss perfect speaker or writer at this conference. I just have to show up with my heart for Jesus, and He will teach me. He will give me the words to speak - HIS words, not my words.

The Lord is full of compassion, and I can just picture Him kind of laughing at my finite perception of the gifts and talents He has given me. What a wonder He is...and what a silly girl I am at times. To even think that He won't equip me to flesh out the skills He has given me. Not for my own glory, but for His glory alone.

Psalms 25:4-5"Show me Your way, O Lord. Teach me Your path. Guide me in Your truth and teach me. For you are God, my Savior; and my hope is in YOU all day long...."

Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow! I'm praying He will just knock my socks off this weekend....and that He will fan the flame of the Spirit in the depths of my soul!

Friday, July 24, 2009

In the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman as she is walking to a well to get water. In this exchange, Jesus tells her that if she only knew who she was talking to, she would be asking Him for water instead.Relatively baffled, she counters his statement by basically asking who he thought he was thinking his water was better. Jesus goes on to say that He offers living water.....a bubbling spring water that quenches your thirst forever.

This all looks like a simple exchange between an ordinary woman going out to fill up her bucket with water and an ordinary man asking her for a drink.What she doesn't realize initially is that this man is the Savior of the world, and He is offering her a lifetime of satisfaction.

How often am I like this woman....going about her daily business (or busy-ness), when I am confronted with Jesus' offering. I am a sucker for "ordinary" water; water that truly doesn't satisfy the longings of my heart.Just like the Samaritan woman, I start the day with an empty bucket that I seek to fill with the things of this world. At one point or another in my life, there have been numerous items that have filled up my bucket: things like designer clothes, purses, shoes (because if I look good....I feel good, right?); magazines (images of the ideal body...again, if I look perfect, I must be...); awards from my job to symbolize my "worth" in achievement; food (which I have used to comfort my empty heart); and even my husband has had his place in that bucket.

NONE of these things can satisfy me. Sure, they aren't necessarily "bad" things; yet they are not sources of everlasting contentment. The pseudo-wholeness they give me does not last. The good news (the GREAT news) is that in Jesus Christ, I have been given the Holy Spirit....the LIVING WATER that quenches my empty soul. His Spirit lives within me every moment of my life, and when I recognize that my craving is misplaced unless fulfilled in Him - life is so much sweeter.

There is a song I love that depicts my feelings perfectly:

Who can satisfy my soul, like YouWho on earth can comfort me and love me like You doWho could ever be more faithful and trueI will trust in You, I will trust in You, my God

Who can satisfy my soul, like YouWho on earth can comfort me and love me like You doWho could ever be more faithful and trueI will trust in You, I will trust in You, my God

There is a fountain, who is a KingVictorious warrior and Lord of everythingMy rock, my shelter, my very ownBlessed Redeemer, who reigns upon the throne, oh yes

There is a fountain, who is a KingVictorious warrior and Lord of everythingMy rock, my shelter, my very ownBlessed Redeemer, who reigns upon the throne

Who can satisfy my soul like YouWho can ever comfort and love me like You doWho could ever be more faithful and trueI will trust in You, I will trust in You, my God

There is a fountain, who is a KingVictorious warrior and Lord of everythingMy rock, my shelter, my very ownBlessed Redeemer, who reigns upon the throne

While I would love to sing this to you.....I think you would get distracted by my off-tune high-pitched voice. You get the point, though. Nothing on this earth can satisfy our souls like our God. No one can love us like He loves us. What a relief? This truth is enough to make me want to ditch that bucket for good!!

Isaiah 55: 1-2"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come by wine and mile without money and without cost.Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare!"

Psalm 63:5"My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you."

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Wow I cannot believe it is already July! We have such a busy summer that I'm sure it will be Christmas before I can take a breath. Maybe I exaggerate just a bit.

We have Kathryn with us until early August, and she will be staying with Luke during the day for all of July. This has worked out so well because (1) Luke adores his big sister and doesn't want her out of his sight and (2) for the last few weeks he has become very frustrated with going to Miss Dorothy's everyday. Dorothy has been absolutely a wonderful blessing to our family over the last three years, but it's almost like he's bored over there. Anyway, Kathryn needed a job so there you have it. She is the official Luke-sitter.

Larry, Kathryn, and I are all going to UM Army (a Methodist Habitat-for-Humanity-type program)the week of July 12. Kathryn is none too excited to give up her cell phone and spend the entire week with virtual strangers, but I have faith that once she is there - she'll have a ball. Larry and I went together two years ago, and although we had no idea what we were getting into - we LOVED it. I am praying that Kathryn's relationship with the Lord would just blossom during this week......and that the experience would light a fire in her heart for Jesus.

I will be going to a writer's conference at the end of July. This is something I am both excited and nervous about. It will be my first one ever, and I'm not quite sure what to expect. But I do know that God put this conference on my calendar - so it will be a great opportunity to meet other aspiring authors, make new friends, and grow as a writer.

To add to the random-ness of this post, I have to mention our favorite tv shows this summer. I am such a sucker for the Bachelor/Bachelorette, and I'm getting frustrated with Jillian because she can't see that Wes is a loser. You are obviously lost if you don't watch the show, but trust me. Wes needs to go. We've also been watching America's Got Talent. A co-worker of mine, Sarah Golden, auditioned in Houston and actually made it to the semi-finals in Las Vegas. I got to go to the taping (and sit on the second row catty-corner to the judges!!) so we have to watch to see Sarah....and of course, to see if I made my national television debut. Kathryn went the day after I did (they had multiple tapings), and she was on tv last night! There was a pretty good shot of her near the beginning of the show last night.

Our Fourth of July should be relatively un-eventful. Kathryn will be going to her mom's for the weekend, Larry is playing in a golf tournament tomorrow, and Luke and I will swim, hang out, and possibly shop. Although I'm positive Larry will be utterly disappointed if he misses a shopping trip. That's what he gets for golfing. :)

I'm assuming you all have had enough rambling from me. So that's all I have.